Twitter has removed a policy that prohibited misgendering or deadnaming of transgender people on the social media platform.
What is deadnaming?
- A deadname is essentially the name that a trans, non-binary, and/or gender-expansive person was called before they adopted a more self-affirming name.
- The act of calling a trans, non-binary, and/or gender-expansive person by the deadname is known as deadnaming, which can lead to adverse consequences.
- Deadnaming is harmful because refusing to use a person’s chosen name or pronouns is a form of transphobia or cissexism.
- Cissexism can contribute to mental health conditions, such as depression and suicidality.
- It can also lead to physical and verbal assault and abuse.
- Deadnaming not only invalidates someone’s true identity but also may reveal information about the sex assigned to them at birth that the person concerned may not want anyone to know.
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB